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This is a major victory for Gov. Terry Branstad, who has clashed repeatedly with Spiker and accused him of lackluster fundraising. Libertarian forces mobilized in 2012 to take over the party so that they could send a delegation to the national convention that would support Paul.

The Des Moines Register reported that the majority of delegates elected Saturday come from the establishment wing of the party, which means that the state central committee may eventually be composed of members who would replace Spiker with someone more loyal to the governor. The newspaper said Spiker earlier told friends he did not intend to seek reelection as chairman. It also reported that Spiker will join Rand Paul’s PAC as a political adviser.

Spiker, a 34-year-old real-estate agent from Ames, did not respond to email and voice-mail messages, but the state party’s news release announcing his departure defended his financial stewardship.

“Spiker leaves the Republican Party of Iowa with more than $300,000 cash on hand, zero debt and with a voter registration advantage for Republicans over the Iowa Democratic Party,” the release read.

Two Iowa Republican sources mentioned Danny Carroll, who is close to social conservative Bob Vander Plaats and works with his group The Family Leader, as a likely candidate to replace Spiker.

Carroll, who is currently co-chairman, was one of the candidates in a crowded race for chairman in January 2009, finishing just behind ultimate victor Matt Strawn. He did not immediately respond to a voice mail.

The Iowa sources were divided as to whether Spiker’s move was designed to save face ahead of a potential effort to oust him in the wake of today’s elections, or whether the Paulites within the party were looking to find a stronger member of their ranks to serve.

A third source allied with the Branstad faction said the governor “dominated” the county conventions after putting in months of prep work.

Spiker, the source insisted, left because he “saw the writing on the wall. Resign before you get completely ousted in a couple months, and hope nobody remembers.”

However, Carroll was seen as a strong contender by several sources.

Craig Robinson, a former party official who runs the website The Iowa Republican and has been critical of Spiker, said that Carroll is likely to be elevated by the state central committee. (His initial election would be for only a few months, until the new state central committee is seated in June.)

Robinson expects broader moves are in store as well.

“I imagine this will lead to wholesale staff changes,” Robinson said in an interview. “The state party is full of people who have worked for the Paul campaign.”

If Carroll is elected in March, it would just be temporary until the new State Central Committee gets seated in June.

But regardless, the establishment forces clearly came out strong. Among those who were elected as delegates were David Kochel, who ran Mitt Romney’s Iowa operation in 2012.

Robinson hopes Spiker’s departure leads to a return to normalcy.

“Hopefully the angst can go away and Republicans can rally around whoever wins these primaries,” he said.